TV: Brian Williams shot down his credibility; now he has to go

Updated 3:04 pm, Friday, February 6, 2015

Brian Williams claimed that “the fog of memory” make him think he was in the downed helicopter.

Brian Williams claimed that “the fog of memory” make him think he was in the downed helicopter.

Photo: Brad Barket / Brad Barket / Associated Press 2012

Image 2 of 2

Brian Williams seemed reliable, thought ful and cool- headed.

Brian Williams seemed reliable, thought ful and cool- headed.

Photo: Andrew Toth / Andrew Toth / Associated Press

TV: Brian Williams shot down his credibility; now he has to go

1 / 2

Back to Gallery

There are two reasons that I am reluctant to suggest that Brian Williams should vacate his position as anchor of the “NBC Nightly News.” One is that, heretofore, Williams has been one of the more reliable, cool-headed, well-informed and seemingly thoughtful news anchors on TV. The other is that I hate the knee-jerk “off with his head” mob mentality, fueled by the Internet, that pervades our culture.

That said, watching Williams try to get himself out of his credibility mess over the past few days, I can’t help concluding that for the sake of NBC’s news organization and its credibility, Brian Williams has to go. And having been a fan of the “NBC Nightly News” and of Williams for many years, that’s a very painful sentence for me to write.

The fact that he has for years told and retold a now-disproved story about being shot down in a helicopter in Iraq is more than just a so-called credibility gap. While this was a personal story and not a news report, the fact that it was untrue severely damages Williams’ credibility and, by extension, the credibility of NBC News.

Kim Kardashian Opened Up About Losing An Embryo And Choosing Surrogacy And More NewsMarieClaire

You Need To See The Romantic Place Where Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Fell In LoveCosmopolitan

8 Things You Didn't Know About Marrying a British RoyalELLE

Meghan Markle’s Life Is About To Dramatically ChangeCountryLiving

But for me, beyond the credibility thing, the reason Williams should depart the anchor chair is that he has shown himself to be astoundingly stupid. That isn’t worse than a news anchor losing credibility, but it certainly doesn’t help.

Williams made a huge mistake and then made it again and again over the years. That means that not only did he lie but, in the age of constant Internet transparency, he also seems to have believed that no one would ever call him out on the lie.

Really?

How could anyone in the media, especially at the top of the broadcast media, be dumb enough to believe that he or she could actually get away with telling a false story? I can’t watch Williams any more without thinking, “This guy is dumb as a box of rocks.” I’m probably not alone.

Broadcast news in general has been diminished in significance ever since the advent of 24-hour cable news. More recently, television news has been fighting for its existence in the face of instant information on the Internet and through social media. The most important arrow TV news still has in its quiver, even for ABC, which so often seems to have based news programming decisions on the Ringling Bros. playbook, is credibility. Although viewership may be diminished, TV news still remains a trusted source for its reduced but hardy band of followers.

What does that mean? It’s more than just being credible: It’s also about not being stupid.

Yes, you can be a news anchor and still be a dimwit. Some of the bobbling heads on 24-hour cable ought to be wearing “Vacancy” signs on their foreheads. But the anchor of the evening news for one of the major broadcast networks? That’s another story, in my book.

Williams, no doubt abetted by whatever clown car of crisis managers NBC consulted in trying to stanch the bleeding, tried to fess up right away, as soon as he was caught. OK: On the surface, that’s the only possible response to this kind of revelation. But in doing that, Williams said that in telling and retelling the story over the past 12 years, he somehow “conflated” the story of the helicopter hit by a rocket-launched grenade and forced down with the helicopter he actually was in in Iraq. He attributed this to “the fog of memory.”

If I had been in a helicopter that was shot down anywhere, I would not have any problem remembering it with haunting clarity. I am certain most people wouldn’t.

Just this week, Williams’ helicopter pilot said he was questioning his own memories of the incident. In that case, the fog of memory may be an acceptable excuse. But Williams has already admitted that his account that his chopper had been forced down after being hit by a grenade was incorrect. On that issue, the pilot, Rich Krell, still maintains the grenade hit the lead chopper, not the aircraft carrying Williams.

If Williams’ memory is really that foggy, he may have even bigger problems than keeping his job.

NBC is in a major ratings battle with ABC and CBS for its evening news shows. The network simply cannot afford to have a befogged general leading the troops. Brian Williams didn’t tell the truth for more than a decade. When he was caught, he continued to prevaricate, proving himself to be stupid on top of lying.

Yes, Brian Williams deserves a chance to regain his credibility, and, given his excellent work over the years, both on the field and in the anchor chair, I’m hoping he’ll do that. But not from the position of being the host of “The NBC Nightly News.”

Latest from the SFGATE homepage:

Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.